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0 The Sonic Racing series has always lived in the shadow (no pun intended) of its spiky mascot’s platforming roots, but over the years it has built a reputation for fast and chaotic fun. Recent entries tried new ideas, like vehicle transformations in All-Stars Racing Transformed or the team strategy in Team Sonic Racing. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds takes these ideas further and adds its own twist: the ability to warp into different mini tracks in the middle of a race.
Developed by Sonic Team, The game launched worldwide on 25th September 2025, costing around £54.99 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version coming soon. Players who bought the Deluxe Edition (£79.99) could play a few days early, starting 22nd September. So, does this new twist keep the Sonic Racing series in the fast lane?
Tails of the Track
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds skips a traditional story mode and puts its energy into gameplay and online competition instead. It packs in a range of modes to keep things varied. Grand Prix delivers the classic kart racing cup experience, launching with seven cups and promising more as new guest racers and tracks arrive. Time Trial strips things back to pure speed, where every boost matters in shaving off precious seconds. Then there is Race Park, a flexible hub for team battles, solo A.I. races, and rival challenges. The rival system adds a neat twist by letting you call out tougher opponents directly for bigger rewards.
Gameplay
The biggest draw is the CrossWorld mechanic. After the first lap, the track shifts and throws you into a brand-new mini course, each with its own hazards and layouts. This keeps every race unpredictable, and unless you are leading, you will rarely know what is coming next. Across fifteen tracks, the game takes you from neon casinos to sprawling steampunk cities, each bursting with style and energy. The courses are filled with branching routes, daring shortcuts, and hazards such as lava pits or collapsing platforms. Mid-race “Frenzy” events throw in random boosts or modifiers, which keep the action exciting but can sometimes feel unfair. Boost pads line the final stretch of the third lap, driving dramatic comebacks and sparking the kind of multiplayer chaos that will set off arguments in the living room.
Fail to Prepare….
Preparation is very important when using your gadget plate. Before the race starts, you can choose different abilities to help you in the race. For example, you might start with a speed boost item to get ahead quickly, increase your drifting ability to take corners more smoothly, or even double the number of rings you can collect. You can combine different boosts on your gadget plate to match your racing style. Picking the right combination can make a big difference and could be the key to winning the race or falling short.
Handling is smooth and responsive. Drifting, boosting, and cornering all feel tight, while improved suspension gives vehicles a convincing sense of weight. Cars, boats, planes, and hoverboards all handle differently enough to keep races feeling fresh. A few rough edges remain, such as awkward braking during drifts or unbalanced items that can be given the player in first place, but none of this stops the core experience from being fast, fun, and satisfying.
Graphics & Audio
Visually, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is bright and lively. Tracks are distinct, from speeding through flower gardens to drifting on the deck of navy ships via jumping over spluttering volcanoes. The CrossWorld mechanic is a visual treat. Warping between dimensions is smooth, with no jarring cuts or stutters. Hazards like the aforementioned lava or falling structures feel integrated into the track rather than just being there for the sake of it. The game doesn’t push next-gen graphics, focusing more on personality than realism. Heavy particle effects or crowded tracks can make things a bit unclear, but the frame-rate mostly stays steady, keeping gameplay smooth. Characters react mid-race with taunts and gestures, adding charm and energy.
The soundtrack is energetic and bold, with pulsating beats that match the race tempo perfectly, amplifying the sense of speed and chaos. Some songs are instant earworms, sticking in your head long after the race ends, while others lean more into capturing the interdimensional space like feel of the CrossWorlds. Overall, it’s a confident, lively score that injects plenty of personality into every race. Sound effects help too. Boosts and speed-ups whoosh, collisions crunch, and collecting rings gives little bursts of dopamine. However, when the screen is crowded with racers and items, it can get messy. Music, effects, and voices sometimes overlap, which can be distracting. Voice work feels a bit weak. Sonic and his main cast sound fine, but guest characters like Persona’s Joker and Hatsune Miku don’t speak. It’s understandable why, but a little more personality here would have improved the experience, especially at this price point.
Longevity
Content is king in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The game offers a range of modes to keep players engaged. Alongside the core modes mentioned in gameplay, players can collect Red Rings in each race, and dive into a surprisingly deep customisation system. Cars, hoverboards, and planes can all be kitted out with different parts and cosmetics, allowing for a sense of experimentation with each part affecting your vehicle, and its speed, handling and boost. Replayability is enhanced by the CrossWorld mechanic itself. Since each race shifts into different mini-tracks, memorisation never grows stale. Combined with the unlocked ability to have regular tracks become the CrossWorld lap, the branching paths and rival-focused systems continually nudges players to try new approaches and is a smart way to make repeat play feel rewarding rather than repetitive.
However, the progression system doesn’t always hit the mark. Chasing top-tier parts or cosmetics is very, very grindy, especially for those who like to collect every single trophy/achievement a game has to offer. By my estimations, you need 24,000 of in game currency known as ‘donpa tickets’, and you can earn around 25 tickets per race. The game and it’s randomness of item drops sometimes undermines skill, leaving results feeling chaotic luck rather than earned skill. Many times, I went from 1st to 9th after being bombarded with item after item. What will decide the game’s staying power is the online community, but that all depends on how well the servers and matchmaking hold up over time. For dedicated racers, the content depth is satisfying, but casual players may burn out quicker.
Final Thoughts
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a fun and colourful racer that moves the series forward. The CrossWorld mechanic is a clever twist that keeps races unpredictable and exciting. Handling is smooth, tracks are varied, and the different vehicle types make each race feel unique. The soundtrack and visuals give the game plenty of personality, it isn’t perfect as progression can feel slow and items can sometimes create chaotic moments that feel unfair. Occasional visual bugs appear, but none of these issues stop the core gameplay from being fast, fun, and often thrilling.
For fans of the series, there is plenty to enjoy and master. Newcomers will find an entertaining ride that captures the chaos and charm of Sonic. In short, CrossWorlds is bold, refreshing, and full of surprises, making it a standout arcade racing game. It fully deserves the Thumb Culture Gold Award, even if it occasionally drops a few rings along the way.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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